Lucha VaVoom brings Cinco de Mayo insanity to the Mayan Theater

Lucha VaVoom is a lunatic’s dream, a Mexican-American madhouse in a nutshell. There are freaks of all varieties: transsexuals, little people, and masked madmen, a virtual acid trip for the sober – and the not-so-sober as well. There is sex and violence on a grand scale, mystical creatures battling in a well-orchestrated fight of good vs. evil. ‘Technicos’ battle ‘Rudos,’ giants battle little men - all dueling amidst a cloud of marijuana smoke.

The youthful crowd drinks it all in, chased by shots of tequila. There are a thousand bloodshot eyes staring intently at this wild spectacle. This could be a scene from a Robert Rodrigues film, pouring out on to the floor of The Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles like warm Tecate.

The Wau Wau Sisters are performing their highflying burlesque act. They form a human teeter-totter on the trapeze, 30 feet above the stage. These costumed strippers wear braziers fashioned from citrus juicers, which they readily use to squeeze their own fresh lemonade, while standing in a galvanized washtub on stage.

Bonita La Belle, a striking raven-haired burlesque dancer, has been a part of all this insanity for 7 years. Despite the conflict and violence, La Belle says the crew is like a big happy family. She loves the whole idea of Luca VaVoom and is still shocked by the spectacle every time.

Watching the diminutive wrestler Little Chicken body slam the rotund Shamu Jr. whips the excited crowd into a frenzy of cheering and screaming until the tables are turned. Moans and groans erupt, as the Rudo team, lead by Shamu Jr., emerges victorious.

As this wild gathering comes to a close, the wrestling ring is quickly disassembled and all traces of the preceding insanity disappear into the hidden confines of the grand theater. Twenty minutes after the show, nothing remains except for what seems to be an ordinary Friday night at one of L.A.’s many nightclubs. The newly arriving patrons know nothing of the insanity they missed.